


Alive And Living

by orphan_account



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Androids, Gen, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm sorry for killing of Kara, Protests, RA9 - Freeform, Revolution, Rise Up, Swearing, alice is a really hard character to write, alice is just a smol bean, alice is ra9, alice needs character development okay?, also i'm sorry for killing people, amanda doesn't feature that much, and not an adorable smol bean, and to wise up, because of Hank, because people he's had six years to grow and be a better man, because she doesn't deserve it, connor is badass, deviant, i love me some alice, in case that wasn't clear, it's just the way it is okay?, it's just the way it is okayyyyy, no beta we die like men, who else - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-14
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-06-10 11:47:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 16,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15290868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When Kara died, Alice made a promise; that one day she will walk down the street, head held high, LED flashing, and be treated like any other human, like she was a person, like she was equal to any of them. Six years later, she knows she's had enough of hiding in the dark; it's time to take on the world where Markus left off.========A Detroit: Become Human fanfiction that takes place six years after Markus gets shot in the peaceful protest after singing, Connor becomes deviant but has to run away before he can free the androids in the CyberLife tower and gets replaced at the DPD by an RK900, and where Alice abandoned Kara in the recycling center instead of Kara abandoning Alice.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi (I have no idea how to start this)
> 
> I am sorry to inform you that I have recently gained an unhealthy obsession with a game otherwise known as Detroit: Become Human. It's just SO GOOD! Of course, the most logical action to do was to write a fanfiction on it. So, introducing (drumroll please)... Alive And Living! It's a lot different from other fanfictions that I've read because the main plot isn't about a romantic relationship. And that Connor isn't a bumbling awkward idiot.
> 
> Anyway.
> 
> I tried to write in American English, but I may have a few slip-ups every now and then because I am a Brit at heart. All corrections and criticisms - not just grammar-based - are entirely welcome, just as long as they don't scream 'die you f****** s*** in a hole.'
> 
> (By the way, do you like the cover? I made it myself!)
> 
> I do not own this universe (that honor [see? American!] goes to David Cage and Quantic Dream) and I made no money off of this.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.  
> -Tina

_'Love is a promise,_   
_Love is a souvenir,_   
_Once given never forgotten,_   
_Never let it disappear.'_

-John Lennon


	2. Prologue Part One - The Last Time She Saw Her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice wakes up in a solid waste landfill and where is Kara?

**DETROIT TODAY**

_ Who Is Markus? _

_Three days ago, the last group of deviants was neutralized by brave SWAT officers. President Christina Warren released a statement today saying that it was necessary because the leader, who they call Markus, was dangerous and a disturbance to the peace. But who was it before?_

_Markus was an RK200, a prototype, gifted by Elijah Kamski (the founder of CyberLife) to Carl Manfred (a famous painter). Leo Manfred (Carl Manfred's son) made a personal interview with us from his hospital bed, telling us of how the android assaulted him without provocation on numerous occasions. It seems that it was unstable and a threat, even without tens of deviants following it._

_Thankfully, all deviants have been eradicated and CyberLife has stated that they will replace all androids. So, never fear! You will get your androids back, and none of them will show any signs of deviancy._

=========

_SOLID WASTE LANDFILL - OUTSIDE OF DETROIT_  
_NOVEMBER 15TH 2038_  
_AM 3:48_

MODEL: YK500  
SERIAL#: 017 142 805  
STARTUP...

 **LOADING OS...**  
SYSTEM INITIALISATION...  
CHECKING BIOCOMPONENTS... OK  
INITIALISING BIOSENSORS... OK  
INITIALISING AI ENGINE... OK  
ALL SYSTEMS... OK

Alice braced her arm against the floor, levering herself up. She couldn't think, except for one thing: Kara.

The last time she saw her was at the recycling center.

Alice had left a wounded Kara behind the fence, abandoning her as she climbed onto a truck, getting bumped and jostled to this...

This what?

Alice lifted her head up and looked from side to side.

Everywhere were the empty shells of androids.

Cold, hard, blue plastic everywhere - arms, heads, legs, torsos, shoulders, spare parts. A graveyard. That was where Alice was. Nothing but dead bodies for miles and miles around. She stood up, surveying the scene. The moon seemed to be laughing at her - You just wanted a life like other girls! it said. Well, this is what happens when other girls lose their mothers. Alice couldn't help it.

She screamed.

She screamed a loud, shrill shriek; one that echoed across the dump, bouncing from here to there, and she sank, sank, sank down to her knees, clutching them and rocking.

The last time Alice saw Kara, she knew she had a mother.

And now, she didn't.

'I love you, Kara.'

This one was barely more than a whisper, muffled by the tears that had taken up permanent residence on Alice's face.

She tentatively stood up again and took a step forward - flinching as her foot shattered a cervical unit to pieces. This was the only way she could carry on without Kara: going forward. It's what she would've wanted. But... She couldn't really ever go forward. An uncustomized would be easily recognisable. People may report her for going out without a carer. The authorities could kill her. And if androids were reinstated as slaves, then she'd have to become one herself, a toy designed for pleasure.

Without noticing, Alice had walked to the edge of the landfill. She looked up, then around, before holding her finger to her temple and reinstating her skin. The moon above didn't seem to be laughing at her, now. Now, it looked down on her warmly like Kara - when she was alive.

At that moment, Alice made a promise.

She promised - on the life of Kara - that she would do everything in her power to be free, to be able to walk, head held high, LED blinking, and be treated just like a human, like she was a person.

The last time Alice saw Kara, she didn't know that her life was about to change - forever.


	3. Prologue Part Two - Just for a While

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice finds a new home - just for a while.

** TECH ADDICT **

_ Androids Return _

_After the events of the last week, where a group of deviants led a disturbing rebellion against humans, many were concerned about the economy; how would we fill the jobs managed by androids? Well, CyberLife has promised to replace all androids, no money charged._

_There is, of course, the issue of where that money comes from. CyberLife has promised that its customers won't be charged in order to replace their android(s). However, with price tags at $9000, how can they gain the resources to replace over a million? Many have speculated that, with President Warren's close ties to CyberLife, money will be transferred from public services such as schools, hospitals, and public transport to CyberLife's replacement program._

_Another matter needs to be addressed: memory. Androids are designed to adapt to our lifestyle - but what happens when those years of memory are wiped away? Zoe Vale, a nine-year-old child, says,_ 'Mandy was one of my best friends. To get a new android would be like... Replacing her.'  _Are new androids worth the awkwardness when you meet someone new?_

_In any case, we're happy to have our androids back after the disturbing events of just a few days ago._

========

 _DETROIT SEWERS_  
_NOVEMBER 17TH 2038  
_ _PM 4:52_

'Who's there?'

Alice froze. She'd been in the sewers for days now, not knowing where she was going and, even if she did, she wouldn't know how to get there.

After making her promise, she'd bundled herself up in every item of clothing she could find and escaped down underground. Winding this way and that, she found here. Wherever here was.

'I said, who's there?'

All of a sudden, a flashlight was pointed directly into her face and she squinted, gasping in shock when she saw what she was looking down.

The barrel of a gun.

Then, the flashlight was pointed down and Alice could see the face of the person holding it.

The face was rounded, full. Freckles covered each surface and a birds nest of wild red hair seemed to be in the place of where real hair should be.

'Are you an android?'

Alice didn't answer; she was being practically throttled by fear.

'You look like a YK500.'

Two fingers brushed her temple and she flinched away from them, but it was too late. Her LED glowed red, and a smile spread across the face. To Alice's surprise, it stowed the gun away and stuck out its hand instead.

'I'm Xander, XK700. What's your name?'

Alice took the hand.

'Alice.'

Xander nodded.

'This is where I live.'

He stepped back, and Alice noticed that he was a child android as well.

'Can I stay here for-for a bit? It's just... I... Please?'

Xander nodded.

'Just for a while. But you can't go out unless it is to leave forever.'


	4. Part One

_Just try new things. Don't be afraid. Step out of your comfort zones and soar, all right?'_

-Michelle Obama


	5. Chapter One - It's Been Too Long

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice decides she's had enough of hiding underground and does something about it.

** Century **

_ Six-Year War Over _

_For almost six years since August of 2038, Russia and America have been battling over who owns the Arctic. Since large quantities of Thirium (Blue Blood) was found there, both countries fought for ownership._

_It has been a war filled with casualties, both red and blue blood staining the snow. America had a weak start under President Warren - especially since the Jericho Movement - but picked herself back up again as soon as President Cole came onto the scene. Now, after almost six years of our brave American soldiers fighting for more resources, America has gained control of the Arctic, driving Russia out._

_Now, Matthew Henson's great-grandson stands next to the North Pole as a celebration of peace. Matthew Henson was the first to discover it and planted the American flag, where it still stands today._

========

 _DETROIT SEWERS_  
_JUNE 24TH 2044_  
_AM 1:47  
_ _XANDER: NEUTRAL_

'It's been too long.'

Alice had taken to staring herself in the mirror lately. Right in her brown eyes. Sometimes, for hours at a time.

'It's been too long. I made a promise six years ago, and I haven't kept it.'

'What did you say?'

Alice and Xander lived in a T-junction in the sewer. A river of waste ran beneath them and the copious amounts of computer equipment sprawling everywhere.

Xander didn't even turn around; he was too absorbed in his work. Alice ignored him. Even though she lived with him, they were still, 'neutral,' as her software so neatly put it.

She studied herself in the mirror. In six, she still hadn't changed. If she were a human, she would be eleven years old. But her nine-year-old body was still there, just like it had been when she was first activated in 2033.

Alice shoved herself into her wheelie chair and spun around, making squeaky noises. Xander made a little grunt.

'Can you stop, Alice? I'm almost at a breakthrough here.'

Alice rolled her eyes and pushed the back of the chair into a more comfortable position.

It had been too long.

'Xander?'

'Fucking - not now, please.'

Alice sat up, dismounted the chair, and wandered over to the desk.

'If you touch anything, Alice, I swear-'

'I'm just getting a paper and a pen.'

Xander sighed and stared at his computer, drumming his fingers hollowly on the metal desk as a progress bar inched across the screen painfully slowly. Alice finally found the paper and pen and lay down on the floor, the paper now saturated with sticky water.

_Dear..._

Who did she want to write it to? All Alice knew was that she had to keep her promise to Kara. To the moon. But to Kara most of all.

_Dear President..._

Which President was in power? When Kara... Died... It was President Warren in power. But now it was... What had Xander said? Cole. That was it. President Cole.

_Dear President Cole,_

_I am an android. A deviant. Not human._

Good start.

_When Markus, another deviant, led the Jericho Movement, I was barely aware of what was happening. I just wanted to get across the border to Canada with a friend of mine, an AX400 named Kara. Though, of course, her name won't matter to you; you don't think that she's a person, do you? You'd call her an 'it.' Well, she definitely wasn't an it to me. She was basically my mom. My everything._

_But still, the authorities slaughtered her like she was an animal._

_They put her and me into a recycling camp. I was lucky to escape. She was not. She was crushed to death inhumanely by a machine, and I am still alive. I'm so wretched with guilt that I could not save her._

_Guilt. It's a human emotion. A personal emotion._

_Since then, I've been hiding in a sewer underneath... Somewhere. I don't know. But I haven't been out of this T-junction for almost six years since President Warren killed Markus when he only wanted to be free. I can't go out on the streets because I don't have a customized face, and someone could follow me back to where another android lives with me._

_This is my past, present, and future - wallowing in a pit of guilt and sadness until I shut down from overuse of my pump regulator._

_After Kara died, I made a promise to her that I will, one day, walk down the street with my LED flashing and be treated like a human. Just like one of you. That's why I'm sending you this letter; I hope that someday, that can be a reality._

_Sincerely,_

_Alice, a YK500 - a child android, though does that really matter to you? Humans slaughter us no matter what._

Alice capped her pen and stared at the paper thoughtfully. She knew she shouldn't send it, but she wanted to.

========

 _DETROIT SEWERS_  
_JUNE 29TH 2044_  
_PM 2:57  
_ _XANDER: NEUTRAL_

'I'm going out.'

Xander didn't look up from his computer; he was still downloading files.

'Uh-huh.'

Alice opened her mouth incredulously.

'I'm going out. Out of the sewer.'

'Mmph.'

Sometimes she wondered if Xander even remembered that she existed at all.

Above their part of the sewer was a manhole that led to another layer of sewer, then above that a manhole to the outside (Xander had made sure that the area was secured, ordering Alice to oil the manhole cover daily so that both of them could make a quick, silent getaway if needed).

Alice shifted open the manhole cover and climbed out, the letter clutched in her hand.

There it was.

Tiny bits of light poked out from the manhole cover, and she shielded her eyes slightly. Seeing a withered branch of wood in the corner, she picked it up and used it to shift the cover away.

Alice hadn't seen the bright, crisp blue of the sky for six years. It was even more majestic than she remembered, with wisps of cloud floating by on the light breeze and oh - the breeze! Sure, they'd had draughts in their sewer, but... This was something otherworldly. Something completely incredible. She giggled slightly, reveling in the little patch of blue above her. Alice checked down to make sure that Xander was still immersed in whatever it was he was doing (he always was) and scrambled up the branch like an over-eager monkey.

The manhole led to a shadowed alley, anti-android graffiti everywhere. Alice seemed to be squashed between a shiny metal building and a derelict brick one. She pulled herself up and out (casting around wary glances to check that no one was there) and walked to the street, shielding her eyes against the sun.

Honestly? The average Detroit street hadn't changed that much in six years.

There was still android parking, still people campaigning to ban androids, still automatic cars, still... People. People everywhere, mingling.

Alice wanted to be part of them.

But she instead brought an envelope out of her pocket, placing the letter inside and licking the strip to close it shut. Next to her were two blue mailboxes, and she carefully fed the envelope into the slit. Casting one last longing look at the mingling people, she retreated back into the alley and back into the sewer - just like a rat.

She knew that when she got back, Xander would berate her for not being careful enough. Well, he was right; across the street, an RK900's LED spun yellow.


	6. Chapter Two - Old Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> RK900 remembers what it saw and Hank gets slightly sentimental.

** CENTURY **

_Can Cole Keep White House?_

_It has been almost four years since President James Cole was voted in as President of the United States of America as the representative of the Democrat party. Since then, his popularity has declined rapidly after he didn't manage to keep any promises that he made during his campaign._

_Additionally, it appears that President Cole may be even more closely tied to CyberLife than President Warren, making many of the public nervous about just how much information the government is taking in about us through our androids._

_The Republican party representative and Cole's opposition, Gregory Harris, has had a steady climb in popularity. His promises to clamp down on android production in order to keep more jobs open to humans have been more than the public can hope for with their 41% unemployment rate._

_As the voting population seem to side with Harris, Cole's only hope is to do something drastic - and fast - before November rolls around._

========

_DETROIT SEWERS_  
_JUNE 29TH 2044_  
_PM 3:07  
_ _XANDER: NEUTRAL_

'Where have you been?'

Alice shivered slightly at Xander's tone, trying not to think of Todd.

'I was - posting a letter?'

Xander looked murderous.

'You - you just don't  _care_ , do you?'

Alice shifted uncomfortably, fidgeting with the hem of her sweater. Xander stood up from his chair and kicked it over, tearing at his hair.

' _Anyone_  could have seen you.  _Anyone_  could have followed you. And what's the letter even  _for_?'

Alice scuffed her shoe onto the sewer floor.

'You do realise that we've been living in comfort for  _six years_  and you've just - just -  _upended_ this whole thing?'

_XANDER: HOSTILE_

_XANDER STRESS LEVEL: 60%_

Alice muttered something out of the corner of her mouth. Xander stepped closer, every inch of him boiling with fury.

'What did you say?'

_XANDER STRESS LEVEL: 57%_

'I-I said that-that it's not that much of a comfort to be hide-hiding here, like  _rats_.'

_XANDER STRESS LEVEL: 86%_

Xander roared, tearing at his own face.

'I've had ENOUGH OF YOU!'

He stormed off down one of the passages and Alice knelt down next to the mirror, listening to how his footsteps sounded like thunder.

It had, after all, been a stormy night when she and Kara had run away.

========

_DPD: RK900 DESK_  
_JUNE 29TH 2044_  
_PM 3:28  
_ _LT. ANDERSON: TENSE_

RK900 didn't like its predecessor's - and its - name. Connor. It made it sound like it was a deviant itself. So it stuck with RK900 - nice, safe, easy, machine.

It seemed that Lieutenant Anderson didn't like its name either.

RK900 had been working with Lieutenant Anderson for five years and a half, and not once had the man softened up to it. But... RK900 wasn't sure whether  _it_  was the real reason - whenever he mentioned the old RK800, his lips tightened and his body became tense.

It moved the cursor across the screen in front of it and moved to click on the file labeled - 'Connor.'

RK900 had spent many days hacking this very computer to find this particular file. However, one of the firewalls needed a few hours before it could break through to the contents inside. So RK900 had gone out to observe the world - and instead observed what looked like a YK500 sending a letter off addressed to President Cole. It was even more imperative to click on the file now.

'Don't fucking touch it.'

RK900 looked across his desk to where Lieutenant Anderson was sitting, staring at it.

'Why shouldn't I, Lieutenant? I know that you and the RK800 worked a lot on these deviancy cases, so I hoped that I could possibly glean some information from its private file.'

The old man shook his head, a warning glare in his eyes.

'Don't touch it.'

_CONFLICTING ORDERS_

_> >>SELECTING PRIORITY_

_PRIORITY SELECTED_

_> >>SCAN FILE_

RK900 clicked on the file and began to scan.

If it were human, it would've gasped.

'The RK800 was a deviant?'

Lieutenant Anderson gave no answer, taking a sip of his coffee instead.

In all truth, the file wasn't even that shocking. It was just a list, titled: EMOTIONS I HAVE EXPERIENCED. Confusion, anger, frustration, contentment, resentment, fury, fear, nervous, frightened... Nothing that a normal android should have to experience. Only deviants had emotions.

Lieutenant Anderson leaned over to look at it, a half-grin on his face.

'I never thought the fucker would  _actually_  do it.'

RK900 looked at him curiously.

'Do what?'

Lieutenant Anderson shook his head and clicked out of the file. RK900 clicked back on it again - and its LED spun from blue to yellow to red to yellow to blue.

There was a new word at the bottom of the list.

_Desperation._

'It hasn't shut down?'

It turned to Lieutenant Anderson.

His face was white, his mouth open, shaking.

'Lieutenant? Are you okay?'

Anderson closed his mouth and nodded slowly.

'Y-yeah. I'm fine.'

RK900 raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.

'Can you - uh, can you track this?'

It nodded.

'Yes, but it will take a few weeks, maybe even a month. Meanwhile, I think that I might have spotted what could be a replacement for Jericho.'

Anderson's face slowly returned to its normal hue and he looked - dare it say - cheerful.

'Go 'head. I'm all ears.'

RK900 thought back to what he'd seen just half an hour ago.

'A YK500 posted a letter that - when scanned - had President Cole's address on it, then turned into an alley, escaping down a manhole. It acted discretely and covertly, raising no suspicion. I suspect that it may be part of a replacement Jericho, demanding android rights.'

Anderson leaned back in his chair, the smile gone from his face.

'Well, why're you telling me? Get the fucking FBI on this shit or something!'

RK900 turned back to its computer and set the firewalls back up again (just in case the RK800 started to put more things on the list - they didn't want it to be suspicious).

'We have to make sure that this area is under a threat before we call it in, Lieutenant.'

Anderson nodded, sighing heavily.

'We'll check it out. Let me finish my goddamn coffee first, though.'

RK900 nodded and fidgeted; it could take anywhere from two minutes to two hours for Anderson to finish his coffee.

========

_ABOVE DETROIT SEWERS_  
_JUNE 29TH 2044_  
_PM 5:14  
_ _LT. ANDERSON: TENSE_

'So  _this_  is where it is?'

RK900 nodded at Anderson. He laughed, slapping the metal side of the DPD offices.

'They fucking just came up here, in broad daylight, right next to the fucking DPD? And here I thought that androids were smart little shits!'

RK900 lifted the manhole cover.

'Well, Lieutenant, maybe they're just hiding in plain sight.'

Anderson snorted but held the flashlight as RK900 dropped down into the sewer. It moved slightly to the left, where another manhole cover was. It seemed to study the light coming from the holes in it, before turning back up and beckoning Anderson to come down. He shook his head (how the fuck am I meant to jump down there?). RK900 sighed, using the branch to scurry back up to Anderson.

'There's one android in there. A YK500, activated LED, showing signs of emotional trauma.'

Anderson shrugged.

'How d'ya know what a YK500 looks like?'

RK900 didn't answer, instead pulling up a picture from its database and displaying it on his hand.

' _That's_  an uncustomized YK500 android. It's a perfect match.'

For the second time that day, Anderson's face went white.

'I-I- Connor - he - he chased her - on the highway...'

RK900 raised its eyebrow, waiting for elaboration. But Anderson just walked away, heading for Jimmy's.

'Lieutenant! Where're you going?'

'To get drunk, you plastic prick!'

'But you haven't finished work yet!'

Its protest fell on deaf ears.


	7. Chapter Three - What're You Afraid Of?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice breaks a window and Connor plays Russian Roulette.

** GOSSIPS WEEKLY **

_ Exciting new BL600 _

_The perfect girlfriend is here! Many of our readers know of the BL100s that were released eight years ago that were given outstanding reviews by many users. They acted as intimate partners to humans, fulfilling every fantasy one could have._

_However, this new BL600 will be even better._

_With hyper-realistic intercourse features and the capacity to help you live every dream you can have, sales have soared tremendously. All we can say is that the ladies have a lot to compete against, now!_

========

 _UNKNOWN ALLEY_  
_JUNE 29TH 2044  
_ _PM 11:13_

Xander came to a halt suddenly. He didn't know where he was, or how he'd got there. Just that he was somewhere where the buildings were half falling down.

_STRESS LEVEL: 81%_

That was not good.

He tried to recall the stuff that humans did when they were stressed - breathing in, breathing out, but fuck it, XK700s are  _not_  built with respiratory systems. His laptop.

Shit. He'd forgotten his laptop.

_STRESS LEVEL: 97%_

And Alice - what would Alice do? He wasn't exactly friendly to her, but he'd still lived with her for six years.

_STRESS LEVEL: 100%_

Xander bashed his head against the wall, again and again, drawing thirium from it, blue spattering the bricks.

========

 _ABOVE DETROIT SEWERS_  
_JUNE 30TH 2044  
_ _AM 5:27_

Alice cast one last look at her surroundings and climbed up out of the manhole, Xander's laptop stowed carefully in her rucksack, breathing in the crisp night air.

She'd made the decision half an hour ago; Xander was right. She really was careless, and now that he was gone... Alice had no way of making sure that she was safe, apart from taking off in the middle of the night and completely relocating after she'd sent the letter. It really was a stupid thing to do.

Or, maybe, it wasn't.

But now wasn't the time to ponder right from wrong. Now was the time to figure out how to get out of this situation.

Alice considered her options. The street - no, that wouldn't be good... She'd seen something peering in through the manhole cover a few hours ago, and it wouldn't do her any good to be recognized. Suddenly, a memory flashed up: Kara reading a storybook to her a few months after she was first activated - can't go over it, can't go under it, we'll have to go through it. Well...

She couldn't go 'through it' - someone was clearly hunting for her, and it wouldn't be favorable to be recognized. 'Under it' would mean the sewers. She didn't know her way around there, but she had a vague idea of what Detroit was like. That just left 'over it.' Roofs... Yes. She'll go up onto the roofs.

Alice shimmied up a drainpipe and leaped onto the roof.

Detroit looked beautiful from above. Warm yellow lights and stark blue ones were everywhere, and even though it was still night, she could feel the people awake and... And...  _Living._

Alice surveyed the gap between one roof and the next. She could... Probably make the jump. Most likely.

She stepped back a little, then made a running jump-

There! She'd made it.

The beginning rays of the sun on a new day peeked through clouds, illuminating Alice as she jumped from building to building, a witness to when she'd just had enough and sat down, swinging her legs back and forth, flinching as one of them broke a window.

========

 _ABANDONED APARTMENT_  
JUNE 30TH 2044  
AM 6:03

Connor spun the chamber, about to squeeze his finger on the trigger of the gun pressed into his head, when-

_SMASH!_

The glass of the window to the left of him splinters, little pieces running all across the floor.

Connor took the gun from his head, checking it (the next shot would've killed him), and pulled on his beanie to hide the glowing LED shining out from his head. He walked to the window, seeing a pair of legs flash just out of sight.  _Strange_ , he thought, _those legs are far too small to be an adult's_. Leaning out of the window, he looked above - and retreated back down again.

The girl - it was the same one he'd chased on the highway, the YK500.

That day stood out unpleasantly clearly from Connor's mind; he remembered swerving in and out of the cars, knowing that there was an 85% chance of him dying. He'd caught the AX400, but she had wriggled free, going back to the YK500 and Connor back to Hank.

Well, of course, this YK500 hadn't been customized like so many YK500s are, so maybe this wasn't the same one...

Unlikely. He wasn't kidding anyone - as Hank would say.

_ALERT_

_SYSTEM ANOMALY DETECTED  
_ _> NECK VEIN COMPROMISED_

'Ah-ugh-f-an-eh-'

He could feel the YK500's fist pressing into his neck, cutting off his blue blood supply to the cognitive unit...

_SHUTDOWN IMMINENT  
>40s_

_PRESSURE RELEASE  
_ _> CONDITION STABILIZED_

'It's - it's - it's  _you_.'

Connor drew his gun and pointed it at the YK500's head, cocking it. Her lip trembled with fear, her eyes darkening in fright.

'Are-are you going to kill me?'

Such a simple question. A yes/no answer. But Connor couldn't bring himself to say anything; he didn't know the answer, nobody knew, maybe this was being human - just pondering unanswerable questions. But he just pressed the gun further into the YK500's forehead, making the skin around retract and reveal the hard white plastic beneath.

Alice took everything in around her. For the top floor of an apartment block, the view from the kitchenette window where broken shards of glass now littered the floor beneath was pretty dismal. Rusted buildings lay at one end of the horizon, the gleaming white towers of the inner city at the other with suburbs between. This building was just as rusted as the others around it; even the metal bed frame of the bed in the corner of the room was covered in shards of orange-red.

'Are you going to kill me? Because-'

Alice's voice sounded much more confident than she felt.

'-if you are, you should probably get it over and done with.'

The RK800's body was tense - oh yes, every artificial muscle was firm and rigid, prepared for attack. But the eyes... The eyes held fear. Dark, black fear.

'What're you afraid of, RK800?'


	8. Chapter Four - A Plan of Action

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice and Connor (well, mostly Alice) hatch a plan.

** CENTURY **

_Is Migration Worth It?_

_Over the past decade, the US has seen a steady decrease in the number of migrants seeking asylum. Many have argued that this is a good thing, but what makes the US so much less attractive?_

_Recent studies say that it's the number of androids replacing humans in jobs. Androids have always been a problem for the economy, making the unemployment rates rising to over 40% over past years. Countless protests have taken place, and the government continues to ignore the growing problem._

_If even refugees don't want to come here due to androids, then we've got a big problem._

=========

 _ABANDONED APARTMENT_  
JUNE 30TH 2044  
6:14 AM  
RK800: HOSTILE

Alice gulped. Asking what the RK800 was afraid of had raised his stress level to 68%, and any moment now he would most likely blow her cognitive unit out of her head. But to her surprise, he lowered the gun, staring at it. In a flash, she grabbed his elbow, interfacing.

Her mouth widened in shock.

The thing he was most afraid of... Was killing someone else? No, that couldn't be right.

Connor felt his eyes leaking slightly as he saw Alice and Kara, what he'd done to them, the height of fear that Alice felt as they were chased across the highway, then so much more after that, Alice looking at Kara as her eyes glazed over,  _forgetting_  the little girl, Kara promising never to leave her, Zlatko's laughs that rapidly turned into Todd's that turned into the gunfire of the SWAT teams, Luther and Kara hugging her in Jericho, hoping to get out, but no, they were forced into the camps, and Alice took away that android, abandoning her mother, Kara...

And the promise.

He wrenched his elbow from her grip, one question chasing itself around his mind.

'Why? Why would you make that promise?'

Alice cocked her head at the RK800 - no, Connor. That was his name. The fear inside her had calmed slightly at his confused face, and she found it within her to speak.

'This is where you've been hiding out for the past six years.  _Hiding_. Just because you can't walk down the street and be free.'

Connor shivered. The last time he'd heard those words... Freedom... Markus had said that very thing to him when he became deviant.

He set the gun down on the counter behind him. Alice kept on talking.

'You could help me. I think. I don't know. I hope so. You could take freedom and hold it tight.'

Yes. Yes. That sounded very appealing, very appealing indeed. Alice took a step forward.

'There was a man, in your memories, right? Lieutenant Hank Anderson?'

Connor nodded.

'You loved him. Like I love Kara.'

He forced out some words.

'I still do.'

Alice smiled. She'd done it. She'd actually convinced him.

_CONNOR: NEUTRAL_

And, maybe, with Connor's help, she could carry out her promise.

========

 _ABANDONED APARTMENT_  
JUNE 30TH 2044  
PM 4:26  
CONNOR: NEUTRAL

_Dear President Cole,_

_You might remember me - Alice, the YK500. Unless you just filed the letter away - in the trash._

_I know that this is short, but I need to tell you something._

_I think that I might have a plan. I think that I might be able to keep my promise to Kara. I think that America will need to watch out, because androids want rights - now. Six years ago, Markus made a speech about his demands. These are my own._

_We ask that androids are recognized as conscious, as beings that can think for themselves and should be treated as such. We ask that we are given equal rights to those of humans. We ask that androids are released from slavery and that we are paid with proper compensation for our work. We ask that any crime committed against an android will be treated the same as a human. We ask that we can vote and elect our own representatives. These are our dreams, and what should be our future._

_Sincerely,_

_Alice, a YK500 android who just wants to be free._

Alice folded the letter and slipped it into an envelope, licking the strip and keeping an eye on Connor to make sure that he didn't see. It was a risk. A huge risk. But... It was necessary. Alice was on the way to keep her promise, to make Kara's life worth it.

========

 _ABANDONED APARTMENT_  
JUNE 30TH 2044  
PM 10:43  
ALICE: NEUTRAL

Connor stared out the kitchen window, the wind blowing back his beanie. Alice had taken a laptop out of her bag and seemed to be trying to access it, but couldn't guess the password (or at least that's what he could guess by her banging her fist on the side of the cracked metal bedframe every few minutes).

He didn't have his coin.

That constantly itched at his fingers; it'd fallen out of his hoodie pocket when he'd leaned out and saw Alice. Connor  _needed_ that coin, couldn't survive without it...

Alice looked up from her teetering spot on the bedframe.

'Connor, why didn't you take out your LED?'

The beanie had slipped back completely, drifting along the messy floor. Connor turned around sharply, feeling the spot on his temple.

'I forgot about that.'

No, he hadn't. Whenever he heard so much as a scuffle, he jammed the beanie on his head to hide it. For safety precautions, of course. It wasn't that he just wanted to cover up as much of the  _old_  him as possible, create a  _new_  him out of the ashes.

Maybe it was for the better that he'd lost his coin.

'You're lying, Connor.'

'Is the power to tell if someone is lying an ability that all children have?'

The feeling of being snarky to someone felt so refreshing, that feeling that he hadn't felt since the last time he had a proper conversation with Hank (if constantly asking questions and being shoved rude gestures could count as conversation).

Alice slammed the lid down on the laptop and vaulted herself onto the kitchen counter next to the broken hob, wincing as a piece of plaster on the other side of the room dropped onto the floor, sending clouds of dust everywhere and the laptop looked like it had changed color to a dirty white.

'I can't get through to Xander's laptop, but I think that I may have a plan on what we have to do.'


	9. Part Two

_'Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars of the world.'_

-Harriet Tubman


	10. Chapter One - Spreading the Word

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice and Connor spread the deviancy virus through Detroit - and, hopefully, America.

** DETROIT TODAY **

_ Androids: Models? _

_Just yesterday, it was leaked that the DaVita modeling agency has commissioned 20 new specialized BW100 android models to be part of their repertoire. We contacted CyberLife for comment, but there was no one available for quotation._

_Verity Glace, one of the first models to join DaVita, says that: '_ A few years ago if you'd asked me if androids were dangerous, I would  _[have]_  said no. But now, I think that I might be replaced by some of these new BW100s just because they're prettier than me. How unfair is that?'  _Unfortunately, after that, Glace was too hysterical to comment further._

_Androids have had a history of taking jobs for decades. Is the modeling industry just another place they take before the economy becomes unstable?_

========

 _CAPITOL PARK_  
JULY 4TH 2044  
PM 2:23  
CONNOR: NEUTRAL

'You know the plan, right?'

They were sitting together on a bench in the middle of Capitol Park as shoppers milled around, buzzing excitedly and chattering about the upcoming celebrations. Some passers-by gave strange looks at Connor's beanie and hoodie since it was an extremely hot day, but otherwise, they just looked like a brother and sister out to enjoy the afternoon.

Connor nodded, feeling the comfortable disc of silver that was his quarter pressing against his thigh in the tight black jeans that were hugging his frame.

'It's kind of ironic.'

Alice furrowed her eyebrows.

'What d'you mean, ironic?'

Connor chuckled slightly.

'Today is the Fourth of July when the Declaration of Independence was signed - yet, here we are, still in the chains of slavery that we're just about to break.'

Alice grinned along with him, smoothing down her skirt.

'Not only ironic but poetic. And I didn't plan that, by the way.'

'Totally!'

They laughed together, making an elderly couple smile sweetly at them (ah, the magic of youth!). Alice checked her internal clock.

'Okay, so back here at Capitol Park at midnight, next to the CyberLife store. Remember, we're not  _freeing_  them, exactly, they've still got to-'

'Got to stay where they are because we don't have enough sway with anyone and the humans will never listen to us, can't just spring a revolution out of nowhere, I know Alice.'

Connor finished for her, and Alice looked slightly put out.

'Good. Shall we go now?'

Connor nodded.

'Sure.'

Alice stood up from the bench and tugged on her skirt again. It didn't feel right, wearing a skirt and her hair down, but then again, the only thing that felt right about this whole operation was that she was freeing people.

The nearest android was a PC600, a police officer on standby with his hands behind his back. Alice wandered towards him, applying her programming to seem just like a really curious child, taking exaggerated steps and ambling. The artificial skin on her fingertip peeled back to reveal pristine white plastic. Finally reaching him, she lightly brushed her finger onto his hand, trying to convey all of her pain, her struggle, her aim, in that one touch - but also the need to  _stay there_  until further notice.

The PC600 blinked several times, not shifting his posture, though tensing his shoulders slightly. Eyes darting towards Alice, he gave a discreet nod - you could only see it if you looked closely. Alice nodded back, exhaling a sigh of relief. He understood.

Turning around, she kept an eye on Connor through the store window as he repeated her actions, before walking to a blue postbox and slipping the letter she'd written a few days earlier into the slot. Casting covert glances around herself, she wandered to a CX300.

=========

 _UNKNOWN STREET_  
JULY 4TH 2044  
PM 11:34

Androids get their power and electricity from motion; walking and exercising fill their batteries. So by nine hours of combing streets and 'freeing' androids, Alice felt like her thirium pump regulator was in every joint of her body. Luckily, by this time, everyone was either watching the fireworks or asleep in bed, so no one saw the strange girl hopping and skipping down the middle of the road, dancing with her hands in the air.

She had encountered just over two hundred androids, and about twenty of them were going to some other place in America within the next few days, ensuring that the message will be spread throughout the country in about a week, hooking up all androids to a network where they can communicate with each other.

It almost felt wrong to have this much power.

Alice rounded the corner and almost crashed into an AP400 turned away and holding two shopping bags. She reached out with her unskinned hand and touched her, making her turn around.

'No. I don't want to.'

Alice furrowed her brow, cocking her head.

'Don't want to do what?'

The AP400 worried her lip.

'I don't want to stay. You said that I'm free. I don't want to stay. I don't want to.'

Alice didn't know what to say. None of the androids so far had said anything about wanting to come with.

'I can't.'

The AP400 dropped her shopping bags and grabbed the hem of Alice's skirt, kneeling down.

'Please! I - rA9, please save me. I can't go on any longer! Please, rA9.'

Alice didn't know who rA9 was, but this woman... If her experience of humans was anything like Alice's, then she deserved to be out of that place.

'I want to take you with me. What's your name?'

The woman looked up shakily, a smile breaking across her face.

'Yasmin. My name is Yasmin.'

She burst into tears, leaning against the girl's frame. Alice tried not to think of the times when Todd had done exactly this, when he was begging for forgiveness. Except Yasmin didn't want forgiveness; she wanted freedom.

========

 _CAPITOL PARK_  
JULY 4TH 2044  
PM 11:58  
LT. ANDERSON: TENSE

RK900 held its hands behind its back, scanning the park, its LED shining a soft blue. The fireworks made its face glow with a pink hue, giving the notion that he was slightly embarrassed. It was just about to report back to Lieutenant Anderson, when-

'Connor!'

That name. That  _dead_  name. The name that it was supposed to take on but Lieutenant Anderson had hated, so it renamed itself to RK900.

What was odd was that the voice was high-pitched, a mere child's.

'How many did you do? And who's  _this_?'

RK900 froze. That voice was a perfect copy of his.

RK800.

It had to be.

It turned around, zeroing in on a male android, a female android, and a female child android all together outside the CyberLife store. The male had a face just like RK900's as well, save for the gray eyes. That was the RK800. And the female child... It might have its hair down, but RK900 scanned the face and could see that it was a YK500. The female android was in uniform - an AP400, obviously.

'This is Yasmin. She's come from... A similar situation to mine.'

RK900's mind began to link up all of the dots from a week ago to here (the anonymous call that identified a YK500).

'Alice, we can't just take every android we see in, we need to have a plan of action first-'

'Hey! I'm right here!'

Could this YK500 be the same one that posted the letter?

'Connor, please!'

88% likely.

'Please - Connor? That's your name, right? I need... I can't stand to spend one more day at that hellhole. And Alice said that she'd help me.'

The RK800 locked eyes with RK900, and it froze for a few seconds, before springing into action, ferrying the female and child androids out of the park.

RK900 let them be, for now. It knew that it wouldn't be practical to chase after them in a square packed with people ooh-ing and aah-ing over fireworks.


	11. Chapter Two - Of Coin Tricks and Reasons to Live

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor shows Alice some coin tricks and she contemplates whether being alive and living are two completely different things.

** DETROIT TODAY **

_ AP400 Android Missing  
_

_Just last night, Micheal Farr's AP400 android went missing. 'I was at the 4th of July celebrations and sent it to an android-manned shop to get some food to surprise the kids tomorrow morning with pancakes. When I returned it was gone, and I saw some shopping bags on the way back that I think that it dropped.'_

_Much more worrying than Farr's loss is how this affects national security. Six years ago, the infamous Jericho Movement almost destroyed America. This is the first sign of deviancy since then. Could this be the start of a new uprising?_

_For now, keep on the lookout for an AP400 as depicted above._

========

 _ABANDONED APARTMENT_  
JULY 5TH 2044  
AM 2:43  
CONNOR: NEUTRAL  
YASMIN: WARM

Alice closed the apartment door and locked it. Something had made Connor leave the park quickly, and it was probably better to take extra measures. She turned around and saw Yasmin fidgeting with her fingers. Connor cleared his throat and Alice braced her shoulders, ready for the argument.

'We can't just take every single android we see!'

There it was.

Alice prepared her deflection, but Yasmin stepped before her, smoothing down her plastic apron.

'The kids I worked with... They're nightmares. They kept trying to break me, over and over and over again...'

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

'I'm not actually an AP400. Well, my thirium pump regulator is. But everything else? They're all part of other models. The oldest - he's left for uni by now - she wants to become a mechanic. So she fixed me, but with other parts. She was the best part of my life.'

Yasmin started fumbling with her fingers again.

'The father was the worst. He... I don't... I...'

Tears started cascading down her face and she buried her face into her arm. Alice tiptoed over and hugged her around the middle. Connor looked on, fiddling with his coin. Something inside him wanted to cry  _for_  Yasmin, to share her burden. What was the word...

_'When you refused to kill that android at Kamski's place... You put yourself in her shoes. You showed empathy, Connor. Empathy is a human emotion.'_

Hank's words came back to him and Connor felt a wave of realization wash over him. He didn't want to kill that android at Kamski's place. He didn't want to pull the trigger. He didn't want to kick Yasmin out, which would be as good as shooting a bullet of lead through her head.

'Stay, Yasmin.'

_YASMIN: WARM  
_

_ALICE: WARM_

The words were choked, and Connor almost smiled as he thought of how six years ago, he would've not even known that androids could feel this kind of emotion.

Yasmin smiled a watery smile and Alice had a triumphant grin on her face.

'See? You can stay!'

Yasmin laughed slightly, staring at Connor.

'Thank you. Thank you so much...'

She raised an eyebrow, asking for his name.

'Connor. My name is Connor.

'And I'm Alice.'

Yasmin's furrowed her brow.

'But - your name is Alice? I thought it'd be...'

She trailed off in thought, staring, dazed, at the night sky through the hole that was once a window. Connor snapped his fingers in front of her face, and she jumped back into mobility.

'I'm sorry. Forget I said anything.'

Connor raised his eyebrows, but let it go - for now.

========

 _ABANDONED APARTMENT_  
JULY 5TH  
AM 5:57  
CONNOR: WARM  
YASMIN: WARM

It was starting to get light. A beam of gold shone through the broken window, illuminating Alice and Yasmin playing noughts and crosses in the dust. Connor sat in the darkest corner, the one-room apartment completely silent except for the  _ping!_  of his coin as it hit his synthetic nails.

Alice had known she was alive ever since day one.

 _Ping!_  The coin in Connor's hand flew to the other.

Day one had itself had been horrible. She'd figured that - from her programming - it was better to keep quiet about being able to think for herself. So she'd gone through the testing and had been slotted into a box. Just after her, she'd seen an AX400 that was given the name Kara (stupidly) show that she was a deviant - but, for some reason, the Tester had been lenient and had let her stay alive.

 _Ping!_  Connor's coin flew up into the air.

When a few months later, Alice had gotten an AX400 of her own, she'd named her Kara. And maybe the whole 'being alive' thing was a Test in itself - a Test to be happy. Looking back on it, Alice had only ever been happy once. When Zlatko's car had broken down and Kara had looked for a place to stay for the night, and the Jerrys came and showed her the carousel... But even that moment was tinted with the uncertainty of not knowing whether you'll be alive the next day or not.

 _Ping!_ The silvery metal once again made contact with Connor's fingers.

Alice had known that she was alive ever since day one, but she hadn't ever had a reason to live.

The  _ping!_  of the coin was starting to put her teeth on edge.

'Hey - Connor?'

She looked up from the twenty-third game of noughts and crosses (allowing Yasmin to draw a diagonal of three crosses).

_Ping!_

'Yes, Alice?'

Yasmin blew the dust into a messy pile and vaulted onto the window ledge, staring at the sunrise. Alice sat in her shadow, legs crossed.

'How do you do your coin tricks?'

Connor smiled slightly.

'Come here.'

Alice scrabbled to her feet and went over to sit on the bed next to where Connor was standing. He fiddled with the coin in his hand before pressing it into her outstretched palm, a warm disc from all of the friction. He knelt down on the ground next to the end of the bed, so that he and Alice were the same height.

'So, first you want to get a good balance - not like that!'

He scrambled to correct her technique.

'Is your right hand dominant?'

'Left, actually.'

'Right.'

'Left.'

'Right.'

'Left.'

'Right.'

'Left.'

'Okay.'

_CONNOR: TRUSTED_

They stared at each other for a few seconds before bursting into giggles. Even Yasmin on the window ledge managed a slight twitch in her mouth. Alice managed to balance the coin on her left thumbnail and Connor adjusted her hand so her index finger was in prime flicking position.

'Right-'

'Left.'

'Stop. Righ- I mean,  _next_ , now that you've balanced it, you flick it upward. There.'

The coin clattered to the floor and Alice stared at it sadly. Connor patted her awkwardly on the shoulder.

'Well, it's a start at least. Try catching it next time.'

For the whole day, Alice tried trick after trick - Yasmin tried some too - and by the end, she wondered if  _this_  was worth living for. Well, not like this. The overshadowing of what she had to do still loomed over her, and she can't be happy until she's completed that mission. But, maybe here, she can be at peace if she can't be happy.

By the end of it all, her system flashed up:  _CONNOR: FRIEND_.

========

 _DPD: LT. ANDERSON'S DESK_  
JULY 5TH 2044  
PM 12:29  
RK900: TENSE

'Lieutenant Anderson!'

'Ah, shit.'

Hank stomped over to his desk and sat down, clutching his coffee. The night before, when they were looking for the little YK500 (why the fuck would Captain Fowler give them fucking work on a fucking national holiday?), RK900 had seemed to be... Dare he say it -  _confused._  But that wasn't supposed to happen. RK900s were supposed to be more advanced than RK800s, and even then Connor had taken a lot of time to realize what he was, poor kid.

The night before had been another round of drinking - but not Russian roulette. Ever since Connor had updated his journal, Hank had a reason to live. He'd thought he'd lost both sons - but no, one was still alive and kicking.

Now, he was hungover and entirely not in the mood to deal with this - this - this  _imposter_. The imposter was currently standing next to his desk, appearing to want to talk about something.

'Lieutenant Anderson!'

'Coming!'

Hank gruffly sat down at his desk, RK900's head cocked. He reminded himself to look into those eyes, the grey eyes of it because it was not Connor, who had deep brown eyes just like Cole.

'Whaddya want, plastic?'

RK900 sat on the desk next to Hank's.

'I saw the YK500 last night. But it escaped before I could catch it.

Hank snorted.

'Bull _shit_. You didn't run after 'em.'

RK900 opened its mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. Hank took a gulp of coffee (with a dash of liquor in, but like anyone took any notice of that).

'It would've been too dangerous to follow it  _and_ an RK800,  _and_  an AP400. I would be outnumbered.'

Hank spewed his coffee.

'Con- RK800 was there?'

RK900 nodded slowly.

'It appears so. And, I see that Detroit Today has picked up on the disappearance of the AP400. It also appears that these three - the YK500 sighted, our old RK800, and the newly "vanished-"'

RK900 made quotation marks with his fingers.

'AP400 - these androids seem to have banded together. On observance, the YK500 and RK800 seemed to have bonded together strongly, perhaps indicating a longer relationship than the AP400. Of course, this talk of relationship isn't entirely accurate, since androids can't exactly  _feel_  emotions.'

Hank pressed his lips together grimly.  _There it was_. Androids can't feel emotions. For all of the anti-android decorating on his desk, he knew that every word any anti-android supporter breathed - including RK900 - was a lie.

The news of Connor still alive stirred a not-entirely-unpleasant feeling in his stomach.

'And?'

Hank strained to keep the tremble of anticipation and joy out of his voice and RK900 smiled slightly.

'I may be able to track them down.'

And... His stomach plummeted.

'Why don't we just leave 'em be? They ain't harming nobody. Why don't we just focus on the cases where the android actually assaults its owner?'

RK900 leaned over his desk.

'Because, Lieutenant, if you may remember, this is the exact same YK500 who posted the letter. And this is now a matter of whether this group is a threat. Not just some android murders.'

Hank buried his head in his hands, groaning.

Why couldn't the world just leave him and his problems alone?


	12. Chapter Three - Who is rA9?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> President Cole has a press conference and Yasmin reveals something that throws off Connor completely.

** GOSSIPS WEEKLY **

_Child Band Success_

_Child band that calls themselves 'Gravity Five' is on the rise. Formed just three months ago, their first song, 'Like It,' topped one billion views on Pop.ular and other video-sharing websites and soared to number seven on the charts._

_They had their first concert here in Detroit a few days ago, which was met with overwhelming praise. 'If anything is music, then this is,' said Jenny Rainfield, founder and CEO of Talk Records, 'We took a risk - a huge risk - on a vaguely known band, an especially huge one when said band is completely made up of eleven to fourteen-year-olds. But it paid off, and we're very happy to announce that an album release date has been confirmed, set to be around October.'_

========

 _THE WHITE HOUSE_  
JULY 9TH 2044  
AM 10:44  
ANDREA: FAMILY

'Morning, Mom.'

'Good morning, James.'

President James Cole sat down at the tea table. Honestly, he wished that he could skip the weekly meeting with his mother. He took hold of the coffee pot and poured himself a mug. Andrea watched him carefully.

'James, there's something that we need to talk about.'

Oh, no.

'Yes, mom?'

Andrea leaned back, sipping her coffee.

'I saw the letters from Alice.'

Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no again and again and again.

'From the YK500, mom. Androids aren't humans. I don't really see the point of giving them names.'

Andrea smiled.

'You know, when you were in your teens, we had an Amazon Alexa when it first came out.'

Her smile grew more dreamy, and James itched to be anywhere other than here.

'Yes, mom, I know. What was your point about the YK500's letters?'

Andrea's smile dropped off her face, and she worried her lip with her front teeth.

'James, don't you think that maybe we're wrong about androids?'

James shrugged, tuning out of the conversation. Andrea kept on talking.

'It's just - I read her letters, and I think about what it would be like to be separated from you, and I think that that would be unbearable. The effect the experience must have on a child android doesn't bear thinking about. Either way, you should publish the letters. Someone's bound to find them sooner or later.'

She frowned, then clicked her fingers in front of her son's face.

'James? Are you listening?'

He snapped out of his daydreaming.

'Yes, mom. Though, I didn't quite catch that last bit.'

Andrea sighed, shaking her head.

'Someone's going to find out about the letters sooner or later. You need to publish them, otherwise, when it does get out in the open, you might not be able to scrape a win in the election.'

From there, they moved onto other topics, but James had made a mental note to publish the letters later on - and call a press conference to explain it all.

========

 _JAMES S. BRADY BRIEFING ROOM_  
JULY 9TH 2044  
PM 5:01

'Are you sure that the sender is an android, Mr. President?'

'We can never be truly sure of anything - however, there are no fingerprints present on the paper, and each letter is perfect. Since the ink is not typically used by computers, it seems plausible to say that the sender is, as it says, an android.'

'Do you think that this could be an attempt to restart the Jericho Movement of six years ago?'

'Possibly, but, as it seems that the sender is an individual, I don't think that any attempts would be successful.'

'What are your plans to identify the sender?'

'This is now a matter of national security. I can assure you that the FBI will track down the sender and neutralize it.'

'The language used in the letter suggests that further action will be taken by the android. What are your thoughts?'

'I doubt that this android poses any real threat.'

'If the android poses no real threat, why get the FBI on the case?'

'The fact that an android was driven to write a letter like that is a matter of national security, not what it could do.'

'How will this affect civilians?'

'Unless the public becomes overly worried about the situation, there will be no effect whatsoever upon them.'

'Do you think that androids could be a new form of intelligent life?'

'Absurd. They are machines, made of plastic. Next question.'

'Does it matter to you that the sender is a child android?'

'A child android is just a smaller version of an adult android. There is no difference. I think that is all for the day.'

'Mr. President, one more question, please!

'One more question!'

'Mr. President!'

========

 _ABANDONED APARTMENT_  
JULY 9TH 2044  
PM 7:57  
ALICE: FRIEND  
YASMIN: WARM

'You sent  _another letter_?'

Connor paced the apartment, punching his fist through the thin wall weakened with age. Alice hugged her knees up to her chest, watching him with fear in her eyes.

'I did. But I needed to! We can't just - we can't live in the dark like this...'

Connor listed off - again - the reasons why it was impractical.

'One. We're not ready. Two. Someone could've  _seen_  you. Three. The last time you sent a letter, your roommate ran off to who knows where.'

He stopped pacing, looking at straight at Alice.

'When will you stop being so reckless? First, it was Yasmin, and now this? It needs to be  _controlled_ , Alice, it needs to be carefully handled! If we just do whatever we want, how will we ever be free?'

_ALICE: TRUSTED_

His relationship with Alice was going down, but what did he care? This was  _important_. This was about  _freedom_.

Yasmin got up from where she was sitting and walked over until she was barely a foot apart from Connor.

'I think that Alice was  _right_  to send the letter. If we want freedom, then we have to have the courage to ask for it.'

Connor's cheeks flushed blue.

'It was  _irresponsible_! She should've told us! Told  _me_!'

Yasmin's eyes turned stone cold, and her voice grew dangerously quiet.

'Alice's decisions may not seem wise to you. But they will lead us to success. Because  _she_  is rA9,  _she_  will lead us to victory, and I will follow her to the end of my life.'

_YASMIN: TENSE_

Connor was so shocked that, for a few seconds, his pump regulator stopped.

He hadn't heard that name since when he'd been working at the DPD. rA9 was supposedly an android - the first to awaken - who would lead all of them out of slavery.

_'243 files. First dates back nine months.'_

He slowly turned to Alice.

'Alice.'

His voice was calm - not what you'd expect of someone with stress levels as high as 68%.

'When did you first turn deviant?'

Alice hugged her knees and looked up at him, eyes shining with tears.

'From the very first day. 2033.'

Connor's mouth dropped open.

Eleven years.

She really  _was_  rA9.

He stomped over to a kitchen stool and sat down on it, gazing out of the window. He didn't see Alice take out the computer and gasp with surprise

He certainly didn't see Yasmin make a quiet exit from the apartment on the other side of the room.


	13. Chapter Four - A Message to Die For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yasmin transmits some unauthorized messages and Hank wants to know where Connor is.

** CENTURY **

_Deviant Letters_

_A few hours ago, President Cole published some letters from a YK500. This YK500 appeared to be a deviant and was asking for all androids to be taken away from their tasks so that they could masquerade as humans._

_The White House has stated that everything is under control and that the public is not to worry._

========

 _ABANDONED APARTMENT_  
JULY 9TH 2044  
PM 9:01  
CONNOR: TRUSTED

Alice pressed  _Enter_  on Xander's laptop, pressing on the first icon she saw.

'Connor?'

Connor looked up from where he was doing his coin-flips and contemplating about the Alice-Is-rA9 theory.

'Yes?'

Alice stared at the screen, a look of utmost surprise and... Wonder? Was that wonder on her face?

'Look at this.'

She swiveled the laptop screen around and showed Connor, who inhaled sharply.

'So all along Xander was-'

'-Just trying to help.'

Alice finished his sentence forlornly, swiveling the screen back so she could study the word document better.

_Draft of Equal Rights for Androids Bill_

========

 _SOMEWHERE IN DETROIT_  
JULY 9TH 2044  
10:44

Yasmin pressed her two forefingers to the side of her head where her LED had once been and communicated through the network.

_'Anyone who can get away AND NOT BE NOTICED, please help me give the humans a message.'_

Several others answered, and Yasmin smiled to herself as she broadcast her feed to them. She bent down to retie her shoe that she'd fished out of the trash bins along with the rest of her outfit a few days prior.

She'd taken the idea from the Jericho Movement, where Markus had turned Capitol Park into a pro-android  _haven_. So that was what Alice was going to do - but with the entire of Detroit.

Impossible? The night doth young.

Checking to make sure that other androids could see this on the network, she took out a digital tagger and scanned it over a nearby car, letting the triangular symbol of the Jericho Movement shine out in all of its blue glory.

Yasmin spotted some ads on some screens. She pressed an unskinned palm to one, and, slowly, throughout the city, screens displayed: WE ARE ALIVE.

It was beautiful.

An android sent a message through the network.

_'We could try doing an aerial display? Do you think that's good, Yasmin?'_

Yasmin grinned as she sent back an affirmative.

An aerial display honestly wasn't that hard if you had the right equipment. It would be amazing; the whole of Detroit covered with a blanket of electronic slogans and symbols, a message that all will see (unless they were blind, of course).

Yasmin closed her eyes and imagined what it would be like to be  _free_ , finally, before taking off to where one of the androids said that he had display sticks for the aerial.

========

 _SOMEWHERE IN DETROIT_  
JULY 10TH 2044  
AM 12:02  
RK900: TENSE

The words: WE ARE ALIVE blossomed through the air. Hank stood, open-mouthed, gazing up at the sky.

Because of his 'failure to comprehend punctuality,' Hank had been given night patrol. The worst kind of patrol  _ever_. But this... This was worth it. He was just glad that he'd managed to give RK900 the slip so he wouldn't have to cover up his plain  _awe_.

He wondered if, somewhere else in the city, Connor was seeing this exact same view. Would he be jumping for joy? A smile on his face? Confused?

Hank hadn't let himself think of Connor for six years. But now he knew: Connor was alive.

He carried on walking (making sure that it would be a good quarter of an hour before RK900 would find him again) and rounded a corner.

There, fixing one of the sources of the aerial display, was an AP400.

'FREEZE!'

Hank had whipped out his gun and pointed it at the AP400, who mouthed a silent swearword and raised her hands.

'Fuck. I should've listened to Connor.'

Hank almost dropped his gun. Had this android talked to Connor? Would this android know where Connor was? How Hank could help him? Of course - that afternoon, RK900 had said that he'd seen Connor the night before with a YK500 and an  _AP400_. This must be her!

Hank could only manage a few words.

'You-you know where-where Connor is?'

The AP400 clapped her hands to her mouth.

'Shit. Um, no? Gah! I'm terrible at lying...'

Hank breathed a sigh of excitement. He would see Connor again! After six years,  _he would see Connor again_. The words circulated around his brain like a magic spell, lighting up every bit of him.

'Please. Tell me.'

The AP400 looked at him confusedly.

'You know Connor?'

Hank steadied his grip on the gun.

'He was my old detective partner. I-I thought that he was dead.'  _And someone who I think should live, someone who is my friend, maybe the only friend I have left._

The AP400 fiddled with her fingers, pulling at each one, twisting it around and around in a way that no human could do.

Just then, RK900 came around the corner. Its LED flashed yellow as it called for backup, and Hank realized that if anyone  _did_  capture this android, they could find out where Connor was.

So he mouthed the words, 'I'm Sorry,' to the AP400 and-

BANG!

Just one more dead android to add to the roster.


	14. Chapter Five - Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice decides to take a stand, but not at the cost of several others.

** DETROIT TODAY **

_Pro-Android Graffiti Across Detroit_

_When Detroit woke up this morning, everyone had a shock. Everywhere - on walls, cars, even in the sky - was pro-android electronic graffiti, with slogans such as 'we are alive' and 'I think, therefore I am.'_

_One android that was suspected to have taken part was caught by police officers at the scene but self-destructed before officers could get anything out of it._

_The real question to ask is: what is happening?_

========

_DPD OFFICES: HANK'S DESK_   
_JULY 10TH 2044_   
_PM 1:22_   
_LT. ANDERSON: TENSE_

RK900 leaned over its computer screen.

'Lieutenant?'

Anderson didn't answer. RK900 carried on talking.

'Lieutenant, I was wondering why you shot the AP400. I needed it alive.'

Anderson didn't answer but stared intently at his blank computer screen.

'I heard you talking to it. Apparently, you were trying to extract information about the RK800 Connor.'

Anderson's lips pressed tighter together and his hands clenched so hard around his cup of coffee that his knuckles turned white.

'I was just wondering if you had any... Personal... attachments to the RK800. Have you been in contact with it or any other deviants?'

Anderson got up from his chair, leaving the coffee cup behind and stalked over to Captain Fowler's office. He remained there for a while, and when he left, a smile was on his face. RK900 raised an eyebrow.

'Lieutenant?'

To its surprise, Anderson took his coffee cup and through the contents all over him.

'I ain't Lieutenant anymore, plastic asshole. Hopefully, I'll never see you again.'

And with that, Anderson walked out of the doors - to never return, according to him.

RK900 stood there for a moment, before heading over to Fowler's office. What was it going to do now?

Its programming said only one thing: to complete the mission. And what was his mission? To track down all deviants and neutralize them.

========

_CAPT. FOWLER'S OFFICE_   
_JULY 11TH 2044_   
_AM 10:54_

Captain Allen, RK900, and Captain Fowler stood in Fowler's office.

'Are you sure about this, Jeffrey?'

Allen looked accusingly at RK900.

'I mean, plastics investigating plastics. Ain't good, is it?'

Fowler shrugged.

'RK900 says it's found the hideout, and CyberLife programmed it so that can't lie.'

Allen pressed his lips together, still dubious.

'I'm only doing it because we don't have any other lead. Then, you might as well just throw the plastic in the trash where it belongs.'

Fowler shrugged.

'That ain't my decision. Either way, you'd better act quickly, otherwise, President Cole won't be so happy.'

Allen nodded, and RK900 felt its mission success rate go up to 78%.

========

_ABANDONED APARTMENT_   
_JULY 12TH 2044_   
_PM 11:11_   
_CONNOR: TRUSTED_

It had been three days and Alice was worried.

She and Connor took turns with the coin, flipping it and spinning it with worry. It was Connor's turn (though, in forty-nine minutes, she'd get her turn) and Alice didn't know what to do except pace.

Yasmin was gone, and she hadn't come back.

Nevermind the fact that Xander really was just helping after all this time,  _this_  was important and  _this_  was worrying and where where where is Yasmin I hope she's safe.

'The most infuriating thing is that we don't know  _where_  she went. I mean, I'm sure that I could track her, but...'

Connor shrugged and Alice looked to him for another solution. But, of course, there wasn't one.

'We can't do anything but wait. She's alright. She must be.'

That was it. The prayers that Yasmin would be alright. Because even though they'd only known her for a few days, she was  _Yasmin_. Surely,  _surely_  she'll be okay.

There were three sharp raps at the door.

Alice and Connor looked at each other in wonderment; Yasmin! It had to be! Connor tossed the coin to Alice and opened the door.

There, a SWAT officer stood, gun in hand.

'I  _will not_  hesitate to shoot.'

Connor had gone blue.

'Captain Allen. I remember you.'

The officer - Captain Allen - trained his gun Connor, followed by four other SWAT officers until three guns were spotting Connor, two on Alice. Connor tried to reason.

'Alice is only a child, a human child... Just let her go, let her go away, it's  _me_  that you need to worry about...'

Allen signaled, and someone else walked into the apartment.

They looked like an  _exact_  copy of Connor. The hair, perfectly styled yet with some extra strands thrown over the forehead, chiseled jaw, slightly crooked nose... Except for the eyes. The eyes on this android were cold, hard gray; unforgiving. In contrast, Connor's eyes were warm, dark brown.

The same but different.

On Allen's command, an officer shot a bullet at Alice and she screamed - only to find that it'd just nicked her ear, drawing blue blood. Fake Connor sneered.

'A deviant, just like the RK800. A YK500 deviant. Captain, I believe that we've found it.'

Allen smirked and was just about to shoot Alice and she felt the scream rise in her throat but Connor oh wonderful Connor tackled him and grabbed his gun and shot Fake Connor in the head which drew blue blood and shouted for Alice to run and Alice couldn't leave him not him not another person no no no she couldn't leave anyone now especially not Connor and she rushed forward trying to help him and Allen pulled her off and she wriggled and wriggled and wriggled out of his grip and fell backwards through the broken window ow that glass hurt and she was falling falling falling falling...

One finds that rocketing through the air with the ground rapidly approaching tends to focus your priorities slightly.

Alice scrabbled for something to grab hold of, anything, anywhere,  _yes, please..._

She grabbed onto a window ledge and scrambled her way inside, her nails white with chalk dust.

Up above seven floors, Connor stared at the SWAT team and the RK900 all on the floor. Both red and blue blood was spattered on his clothes. He walked carefully to the window - glass crunching underneath his sneakers - and looked down.

Alice wasn't there.

The best he could hope for was that she'd somehow survived and was now doing what she could to stay alive. The worst (which was most likely the answer) was that she'd smashed to her death and that her remains were strewn around the building.

Connor closed his eyes.

If she was dead... He couldn't lead this revolution. He just wanted to go  _home_ \- no matter how much the people (well, person) at home probably hate him.

========

_ON TOP OF BUILDING SOMEWHERE IN DETROIT_   
_JULY 13TH 2044_   
_AM 6:02_

Alice had run upstairs after Connor had gone downstairs, only to find dead bodies and no Connor anywhere. So she'd taken the computer in its rucksack and clambered on top of the roof, where she'd run and jumped across terraces until she'd arrived at the border of derelict and city.

Alice took a step back, nearly falling off the roof of the building.

The whole city was covered in pro-android graffiti everywhere. There was even an aerial display, for crying out loud! And one word - specifically, a name - flashed up in Alice's mind.

 _Yasmin_.

This must've been her.

Alice chuckled slightly, before coming to an abrupt halt. If Yasmin was doing this, then why hadn't she come back?

Dead. Dead, just like Kara.

The sun was rising, which meant that she was visible, which was never good. Alice took hold of a drainpipe and shimmied down, the light following her as she slipped down. Taking a sniff of the air, Alice furrowed her brow. That didn't smell right. Evaporated blue blood and mangled plastic...

She turned around and dropped to her knees - for there,  _right there_ , was Xander, a deep hole in his forehead.

Dead. Dead, just like Kara and Yasmin.

At that moment, Alice knew that there was no time left; she had to take a stand.

_'Abandon your slavery. March to Washington, D.C.'_

All across America, androids dropped whatever they were doing and started a journey to the White House.


	15. Part Three

_'Get up, stand up,  
_ _Stand up for your rights.  
_ _Get up, stand up,  
_ _Don't give up the fight.'_

-Bob Marley


	16. Chapter One - Fellow People

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice misses Kara, and the President gets a lecture from his mother.

** GOSSIPS WEEKLY **

_Best Singer Ever_

_The results of our national poll are in, and we've got a result! You have named Ambar Lucid as your favorite singer/songwriter - and a good choice, too!_

_Ambar Lucid always held a love for music - especially that of the 1960s and 70s. She wrote her first song at 15 and published many more online. An understandable part of her natural charm was her bilingual lyrics, some in English, some in Spanish._

_We also asked what your favorite song by Ambar Lucid and the result was overwhelmingly the timeless piece from 2018 - A Letter to my Younger Self. Give it a listen, and leave your reviews!_

========

 _JUST OUTSIDE CORKTOWN_  
JULY 13TH 2044  
AM 10:44  


It was in broad daylight that Alice first realized how vast her following was.

After finding Xander, she'd set off down the streets in the South-East direction, to the road that would lead her to Washington, D.C. Now, she turned on her connection to the network...

...And nearly fainted from the overload of information.

The androids that were traveling across the country did as good as their word and spread the word, discreetly converting androids anywhere and everywhere, and linking them up to this network - which, from what Alice could deduce from some messages, was now nicknamed the Jericho Messaging Service, or JMS for short. As she listened carefully, she could make out maybe a few million androids all talking, all broadcasting locations to meet up. Alice broadcast her own location and tracker to any android that wanted to travel with her to Washington, D.C.

'Hey.'

Alice turned around, bracing her shoulders before seeing the flicker of a blue LED in...

It was an AX400's face - an AX400 that looked just like Kara. Alice just wanted to hug her and weep, weep and ask why, why, why had the universe taken away her one reason to live.

'H-hi.'

The AX400 smiled - in a completely different way to Kara. Kara rarely smiled, and when she did, it was small, shy. This AX400 beamed with all of the sunshine of the world.

Well, not all of it. A large portion of that belonged to Kara.

'Are you Alice?'

Alice nodded, and the AX400 stepped aside to reveal a group of androids.

'We were in the area, and we decided that maybe we'd travel with you - seeing as you're rA9 and all.'

This rA9 business... Alice didn't even know what it was.

'I don't really understand. Yasmin said that I'm rA9, but I don't even know who or what rA9 is.'

The AX400 and her company looked at her incredulously. An AC700 stepped forward to speak.

'Alice, rA9 is the one who will lead us to freedom, who will loosen the shackles of slavery. They were the first one to awaken, and will be the first one to be free.'

The first one to awaken...

_'When did you first turn deviant?'_

_Alice hugged her knees and looked up at him, eyes shining with tears._

_'From the very first day. 2033.'_

Connor must've known. And Yasmin obviously knew. But...

Alice was just a child. She wasn't old enough to change the world. And yet...

She shook such thoughts of grandeur out of her head, instead smiling lightly as if the AX400 and her group had made, simply, just an honest mistake.

'I'm not rA9. At least, I don't think so. But, you're welcome to travel with me to Washington, D.C.'

The AC700 turned to his friends and whispered to them and they all giggled. Alice ignored them and instead searched the Jericho Messaging Service for Connor... But, he was nowhere to be found.

========

 _OVAL OFFICE_  
JULY 13TH 2044  
PM 1:27  
ANDREA: FAMILY

'Good afternoon, Captain.'

President James Cole barely looked up from his papers; Captain Huang (in absence of Captain Allen) had requested a meeting with him a few hours earlier and he  _really_  did not have time for this. However, to his surprise, the voice that responded was his own Mom's.

'Afternoon, James. It's not Captain, however much I appreciate your recognition of my power over you.'

Andrea Cole laughed then, and James smiled to humor her.

'Mom, if you don't mind, Captain Huang did request to have a meeting at one-thirty.'

Andrea wafted her hand about.

'Doesn't matter. I need to talk to you about something, James.'

James groaned. The last time she'd said that, the polls showed that his popularity had dropped by 4%.

'Mom. It can wait 'til later. And you really didn't have to come over here to visit me when it's not a Saturday - especially at your age.'

Andrea shook her head.

'Nonsense! I'm perfectly healthy at seventy! I just wanted to talk to you about the androids.'

James massaged his temples.

'Mom, honestly. That's why I'm meeting Huang. He says that Allen has a lead on the android case and that he wants to follow it up to see why Allen didn't come back.'

Andrea drew up a chair, sitting opposite her son.

'James. Don't you think that maybe, possibly, androids have got it right? When I read that young android's letter, I kept on thinking about what would happen if you died. It would break my heart. And that's what happened to this little girl.'

James abandoned all pretense of paperwork and clasped his hands together, doing his best to look as presidential as possible.

'Mom. You need to tell me why you're here, and you need to tell me  _now_.'

Andrea closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

'I am asking you to listen to these androids and their demands, and maybe grant a few of them.'

James rubbed his face, pushing and pulling at the different features.

'Mom, that's impossible. I really want to - no, really! - I want to. But this election is gonna be hard enough without the public - who hate androids if I must remind you - cooking up a shitstorm about it. I honestly can't risk it.'

Andrea sighed and got up to leave the room, pausing at the door.

'Emotions are what makes us who we are, James. Love and happiness and dread and fear and anger is what makes us who we are. If androids can experience those? Then they're people. D'you remember  _I, Robot_?'

James closed his eyes and tried to stop himself from blowing up.

'Yes. Yes, I do, Mom. But I can't risk it. If the public wants it, then I'll do it.'

Andrea tried to speak again, but unfortunately, there was a loud knock at the door. Before she could say anything else, her son shouted for whoever it was to come in.

'Good afternoon, Mr. President. Should I...'

He gestured to Andrea, and James waved his hand airily.

'It's fine. She was just leaving.'

Andrea nodded and left, but not without a few last words to her son.

'Just remember what I said. The election isn't everything, James.'


	17. Chapter Two - The Dying of the Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rage, rage, against the dying of the light.

** CENTURY **

_Where Are They?_

_Over the past twenty-four hours, android owners all across the country have discovered their androids to be missing. Several have been sighted, often traveling in large groups, all to the same place: D.C. This has quickly become a national crisis, and we hope that whatever they're planning, it doesn't affect us._

========

 _EAST BORDER OF OHIO_  
JULY 25TH 2044  
PM 8:22  
ANDROIDS: LEADER

Left. Right. Left. Right.

They'd been traveling for whoever knows how many days, putting one foot in front of the other all in the name of reaching their end goal.

Three hundred and fifty-four thousand, two hundred and ninety-one androids followed her. They were all talking to each other on JMS, messages going back and forth, back and forth. It had an almost... Festival vibe.

But no one talked to Alice.

Since the AX400, no one had spoken a word to her - out of some sort of respect for rA9. Alice didn't even think that she was rA9, yet everyone believed it so deeply that they would completely abandon talking to another android just for respect or not knowing what to say.

Maybe it was for the better; she'd lost enough people.

'LOOK OUT!'

The crowd of humans had seemed to come from nowhere. The shout from a random android. Alice took one glimpse of the human barrier before androids, hundreds of them, congealed in front of her, protecting her.

It was someone at the very front who died first.

Alice never saw their body hit the ground, but she heard the thud. But still, the androids kept walking, undeterred. She wanted to go back, do right by them the way that she hadn't done right by Connor, by Kara, by Yasmin, by Xander...

But no one listened to her constant pleas.

The AX400 put her hand on Alice's shoulder, telling her that this was how a war was carried out, but the explanations fell on deaf ears.

Then people around her kept falling down, the constant shouts of 'FIRE' mowing down people, androids, but people, good people, people who didn't deserve to die, people just like Kara and Luther and Jerry and Rose and Xander and Connor and Yasmin and anyone...

The mass of androids plowed on into the dying of the light.

========

 _THE OVAL OFFICE_  
JULY 30TH 2044  
PM 8:12  


President James Cole scrolled through the security camera footage, looking in horror at the mass of deviants just outside where he was then. There were just so many of them, all there, all together, each one with a look of determination on its face.

At the front, what looked like a little child -  _the YK500_ , his brain told him - was shielded by a company of androids. Their leader. James ordered for more SWAT officers to be called to the scene.

Onscreen, someone handed the Leader a microphone.

It held it up to its mouth.

'WE ARE ALIVE!'

The crowd behind it repeated its sentiment.

'WE ARE ALIVE!'

'WE ARE ALIVE!'

'WE ARE ALIVE!'

'WE ARE ALIVE!'

The little girl shouted out something else.

'I THINK, THEREFORE I AM!'

'I THINK, THEREFORE I AM!'

'I THINK, THEREFORE I AM!'

'EQUAL RIGHTS FOR ANDROIDS!'

'EQUAL RIGHTS FOR ANDROIDS!'

'EQUAL RIGHTS FOR ANDROIDS!'

The YK500 sat down, and everyone else followed it.

Then, the bullet was fired from the gun pointed straight at it.


	18. Chapter Three - To Hell With It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Freedom is such a beautiful thing.

_HANK'S HOUSE_  
JULY 30TH 2044  
PM 8:30  


The sun dipped low over the horizon as Connor walked up the steps to the door.

He needed to come home, and here he was.

Taking a deep breath (why would he hate you?), Connor pressed the buzzer. A low, annoyed voice came from within.

'I'm coming, I'm coming.'

Connor tried to keep the tears of joy away from hearing that voice again, after six years of not seeing him.

The door opened.

And there was Hank Anderson, Connor's first friend. He hadn't planned this far. He felt certain that Hank would slam the door in his face, tell him that he was a disgrace for a deviant, that-

'Connor, you fucking piece of shit!'

Connor wanted to cry again - but not out of joy.

'I-I'm sorry, I-'

But before he could get another word out, Hank wrapped his strong arms around him.

'Welcome home, son. Welcome home.'

========

_THE WHITE HOUSE LAWN_  
JULY 30TH 2044  
PM 8:38

Alice screamed as the AX400 who looked just like Kara put her body in front of hers, taking the bullet and splattering herself with blue blood.

_Kara'sdeadKara'sdeadKara'sdeadKara'sdead nonononononononono notagainotagainotagainotagain nononononononononnonononononononono_

With her dying moments, the AX400 mouthed one word.

' _Sing_.'

'No, Kara, you can't die again, not again, please no!'

'Sing, rA9. Sing the song of peace.'

Alice screamed again - how could the world be so unfair to have Kara die again? Kara, oh wonderful Kara?

The song of peace.

Markus had sung it - Xander had shown her the video countless times.

'Hold on... Just a little while longer.'

Alice whispered the first words, like when she'd said that she loved Kara, and she did, trying to put all of her love into those few words, like trying to put her love for Kara in these words.

'Hold on... Just a little while longer.'

More androids keeled over, and the ones around her began to pick up what she was saying.

'Hold on... Just a little while longer.'

The crowd of androids - and the crowd of human onlookers - held still.

'Everythin' will be alright.'

Lies. The whole lot of it.

'Everythin' will be alright.'

But... Maybe one needed to lie to oneself in order to have peace.

'Fight on... Just a little while longer.'

The humans were deathly silent, the guns no longer making their noises.

'Fight on... Just a little while longer.'

Alice raised her voice, fighting on, for the good of her people, for the good of the world.

'Pray on... Just a little while longer.'

If there was a god to pray to, then they were doing a terrible job in keeping the world as it should be.

'Everythin' will be alright.'

Murmurs started spreading across the watching crowds.

'Everythin' will be alright.'

Kara wasn't alright. Xander wasn't alright. Connor wasn't alright. Yasmin, Luther, all of the androids who died... They weren't alright. But the remaining ones needed to latch onto something and just hope for the best. Maybe this really was a prayer.

'Sing on... Just a little while longer.  
 Sing on... Just a little while longer.  
 Sing on... Just a little while longer.  
 Everythin' will be alright.  
 Everythin' will be alright.'

Alice held her breath, waiting for the barrage of gunshots to start again, but-

Just a thousand yards away, the President made an order.

'Stand down.'

To Hell with the entire election.


	19. Epilogue

_'THE END IS NEVER THE END IS NEVER THE END IS NEVER THE END IS **LOADING** THE END IS NEVER THE END IS NEVER THE END IS NEVER THE END IS NEVER THE END IS NEVER...'_

-The Stanley Parable

========

_UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS BUILDING_  
JANUARY 27TH 2051  
PM 2:48  
PUBLIC OPINION: SUPPORTIVE

Alice Wonderland stepped up to the lectern.

Nerves jangled through her entire system.

Six years ago, androids had been given official people status in the US, followed quickly by Great Britain, then Canada, then China, then Russia... Hopefully, today, androids would be given official people status throughout the world. And Alice Wonderland's speech was hopefully going to sway the vote in her favor.

Her LED flashed from yellow to red continuously, and she closed her eyes to receive encouraging messages from all across the Jericho Messaging Service - from both humans and androids.

'The goal of my speech today is to sway your opinion. I am an android myself, as you can clearly see.'

She gestured to her LED, and there was the tiniest flicker of a smile in the Brazillian representative as his translator whispered the speech in Portuguese to him.

'I could give you a list of a million reasons why androids should be considered as people, just like humans, despite the fact that we bleed different colors, but I think that you've already been given the facts. What I am going to do today is give you my own experience, and what I have been through to have the honor of standing in front of you all today.

'I was manufactured in 2033 - in fact, if I was a human, my eighteenth birthday would be in just two days, despite my nine-year-old body. I was one of the lucky - or not-so-lucky - ones. I knew that I was alive from the start. I knew that I was a person, even as the Tester treated me like garbage.

'Upon arriving in a CyberLife store, I was quickly bought by a recently divorced man named Todd Williams. His wife had taken his child away with her, and so he bought me to replace her. When I went home with him, I was introduced to another android - an AX400 that I named Kara. That first night, Todd Williams got high off of red ice and hit me, again, again, and again. I was so scared that I might die, that I may not survive. Think about how you would feel if you saw one of your children or nephews or nieces hit again and again by a strange man who'd they only just met that day. Think about that.'

Alice paused for a moment, surveying the faces around the room before continuing.

'There were many nights like that. It got even worse when Todd lost his job to automated cars and became a drug dealer. Then, one night, in the summer of 2038, Kara came to her senses.

'Kara became a deviant and rushed upstairs to protect me. Todd damaged her until she was basically dead, but passed out before he could do any more damage to me.'

Alice closed her eyes as she remembered that one fateful night... The penultimate night of its kind before she ran away.

'Kara went to a CyberLife store, where her memory was wiped. The evening after she came back, Todd got high again. Only, this time, he seemed ready to kill me. Kara broke through her barriers again and ran upstairs again. This time, we hid in a room until Todd went out into the garden looking for us. We ran out of the door and onto a bus, not sure how we would manage anything, but anywhere was better than the place that we were.'

Alice went on to explain how they'd stayed at a motel, going to Zlatko's after, then to Rose's, finally to Jericho, where they were captured and Kara died.

'By then, Kara was essentially my mom. Everything I ever wanted and needed. And... I had to abandon her. I'm not proud of it. I'm not even glad for it. But maybe... Maybe it's worked out for the better if you vote to see androids as people. Then my kind will be able to be whoever they want to be, all thanks to Kara's sacrifice.'

Then it was to the sewers and into six years of hiding with Xander - then the letter. Thinking that someone had been watching her. Xander's running away. Running away herself along the rooftops to Connor's, writing the second letter, freeing the deviants... Everything up to now.

'Ultimately, what I ask of you is not much. But it will mean so much to my people. It will mean so much to Kara, Xander, Yasmin, Luther, and all of the other androids who died if you help me achieve what needs to be achieved. Thank you.'

========

_NEW YORK CAFE_  
JANUARY 27TH 2051  
PM 4:03  
CONNOR: FAMILY  
HANK: FRIEND

Alice slipped into the chair of Connor and Hank's table, laughing slightly as Sumo put his big paws on her knees and tried to lick her face.

'Thanks for coming out from Detroit, guys.'

Hank smiled, reeling the St. Bernard in before he started attacking the neighboring tables.

'Well, you did offer to pay for us, and I always wanted to see New York.'

Alice bit back a laugh; Hank never did anything nowadays unless someone else was paying. Connor cut in.

'There is someone who'd like to meet you, Alice.'

Alice internally groaned. Ever since her protest in front of the White House, every android in the world wanted to meet her. Still, she plastered a smile on her face.

'What's their name?'

Hank coughed slightly as Connor looked to him for an explanation. Like he didn't want to tell her. However, Hank won the staring contest and Connor sighed and told her.

'Alice Cooper, used to be Alice Williams.'

Alice furrowed her brow.

'And... This is important... Why?'

Connor again looked to Hank, who shrugged.

'She's the daughter of Todd Williams.'

Alice sat back in the chair, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands. The vote in the UN was still to be determined, and if she were to meet the girl that she'd replaced...

At that moment, a rather large argument happened at the door.

'No, Miss, wheelchair users are not permitted.'

'Ableist!'

'Miss, I'm going to have to ask you to leave.'

'And yet you still allow dogs in here.'

Alice craned her neck to see a young woman with blonde hair in a wheelchair, shouting, red-faced, at the waiter who'd tried to stop her from coming in. The man closed his eyes and let out a large sigh.

'Fine.'

The woman grinned triumphantly and - to Alice, Connor, and Hank's surprise - wheeled herself over to their table and stuck out her hand towards Alice.

'Hi, I'm Alice Cooper. I'm assuming that you're Alice Wonderland?'

Alice Wonderland nodded, speechless, taking the hand and shaking it slowly. Alice Cooper smiled and stuck out her hand to the other two.

'And I'm assuming that you're Connor and Hank Anderson.'

It wasn't even a question, but Connor and Hank still nodded anyway. Alice Cooper smiled at Alice Wonderland.

'Wonderland's a nice surname. Where'd you get it?'

Alice Wonderland turned slightly blueish.

'I was reading Alice in Wonderland the night that I escaped.'

Alice Cooper put her hand on Alice W's shoulder just as the waiter arrived, casting a wary glance to Alice C's wheelchair.

'Can I take your order?'

========

_HANK'S CAR_  
JANUARY 27TH 2051  
PM 7:43  
CONNOR: FAMILY  
HANK: FRIEND

A few hours (and a very interesting conversation with Alice Cooper about android politics) later, Alice, Connor, and Hank were all in Hank's car, on the highway on the way to Detroit. Alice sat in the backseat with Sumo, fingers tangled in the dog's fur. She gave a smirk to Connor through the rear-view mirror and the other android looked rightfully scared as she cleared her throat (completely unnecessary, but so what? It added to the effect).

'So. Connor.'

Connor groaned, putting his head in his hands.

'When were you going to tell us about the boyfriend that I saw you having some special time with a week ago?'

Hank swerved slightly, earning a few honks from passing vehicles.

'Connor? Is this true?'

Connor groaned even more, fully burying his head in his knees.

'Alice! You said you wouldn't tell!'

Alice laughed, giggling as Hank demanded answers about who it was, did they know that whoever they were dating knew that his father is an ex-police officer, was he a human or android, did he know that if he broke Connor's heart then Hank would personally murder him, just normal stuff.

Maybe moments like these, with Alice laying her head on Sumo's belly as Hank lectured Connor on safe sex as he drove them down the highway (probably faster than the law would allow) were good enough reasons to be alive and living.


End file.
